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Having the parents pick up the gun doesnt change the fact that he had the gun. I think whom has possesion of the gun after the fact is the least of anyone's worries.
I agree, but this is where motive should have come in. The admin should have some ability to look at motive. He forgot. He was attempting to do the right thing. Maybe if he went to the admin, they could have called his parents or something.
I see it like a getting a ticket. Yes I was speeding and I broke the law, however the officer can use his judgement, look at my driving history, and decide not to give me a ticket.
The admins should be able to use their judgement on this issue. If the kid was a good kid, trying to do the right thing, some leniency should be allowed. If the kid was a known trouble maker with a history of causing problems, maybe not so much.
The reason there is zero tollerence is that it somewhat limits the schools and district's liability.
No one knows what his intentions were. We on this borad assume he is a good kid...without really knowing him or his state of mind.
What if the school let him slide, then it happend again, and a student notice the gun in his truck...told their parents...and the parent complained? what if it were found out that this had happend before...now who is the blame gonna go to then.
I find it funny that those that are continuously critisizing "public education" as being broken, yet want this kid treated differently as he would if he were attending a Catholic or any other "private school".
Honestly, if there is a zero tolerance policy against it, it should be enforced without prejudice and bias. He was in the wrong. This isn' ta second amendment issue. He probably -could've- gotten away with it if he kept his mouth shut. I've forgotten that I've had knives in my pocket and gone to school before (swiss army knife, but they still lump it in with all the other ones), and I kept my damn mouth shut about it.
The school faces HUGE liability if they allowed this to happen and someone got hurt. If you make an allowance for one; then you will have to make an allowance for 1500, depending on the size of the school.
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Originally Posted by Donna-501
He broke school policy. We had the same thing at my daughters school a few years ago but he had a box cutter because he helped some one move the day before. He was also a honor student.
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinArmageddons
Honestly, if there is a zero tolerance policy against it, it should be enforced without prejudice and bias. He was in the wrong...
This is the problem... "Zero Tolerance" is bureaucrat-speak for "Zero Thought". Could you imagine that thought process in the REAL justice system? If you break ANY law you immediately suffer a prescribed punishment without any consideration of the actual facts of the case.
Quote:
"I'm sorry, sir. I know your wife was bleeding and you were just trying to get her to the hospital, and I'm sorry she died in the car while waiting on the side of the road, but you drove faster than the posted speed limit, didn't come to a full stop at a stop sign, and didn't pull over immediately when the police officer tried to pull you over, and you fought with several officers when they tried to arrest you. If I let you go, I'll have to let 1500 other speeders go. You are going to jail."
Quote:
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I know the guy was raping you in an alley with his [****] actually inside you when you hit him with the rock, but murder is a crime. If I let you go I'll have to let every other person who bashes in someone's head go."
The whole "if you make an allowance for one you'll have to make an allowance for all" argument is utterly moronic. Zero Thought.
One of the reasons why I think students should be allowed lawyers at school hearings. An adult who gets caught shoplifting and is facing a fine is entitled a lawyer, but a student who is facing a YEAR's punishment and very likely getting kicked out of whatever college has already accepted him is entitled to nothing.
I agree, but this is where motive should have come in. The admin should have some ability to look at motive. He forgot. He was attempting to do the right thing. Maybe if he went to the admin, they could have called his parents or something.
I see it like a getting a ticket. Yes I was speeding and I broke the law, however the officer can use his judgement, look at my driving history, and decide not to give me a ticket.
The admins should be able to use their judgement on this issue. If the kid was a good kid, trying to do the right thing, some leniency should be allowed. If the kid was a known trouble maker with a history of causing problems, maybe not so much.
Considering the Sandy Hook killings, does anyone expect anything but zero tolerance?
Sad story, and just one more pathetic example of the "zero thinking" management of modern schools. He "broke the rules" but did so by accident. His shotgun, when locked up in the trunk of his car, posed no danger to anyone at the school. It's a simple, inanimate object.
Now...should he be punished for "breaking the rules"? Lets say the school had a policy of no cell phones on during school hours. If a kid forgot and left his turned on, should he be expelled? I mean, he "broke the rules".
The problem is that administrators in schools these days have very little intelligence or common sense.
I think this case will be dismissed without any charges filed (being arrested is not the same thing as actually being charged).
One of the news stories quoted a school spokes-person as saying that Cole was arrested because: “The law is very clear when a person knowingly and willingly brings a weapon onto educational property,” then the student must be turned over to law enforcement.
Thus far, the facts seem to indicate that Cole did not knowingly and willingly bring the shotgun onto the school property. I simply can't see a grand jury indicting this young man. Or a district attorney pursuing it. I think the spokes-person was very careful to use that language for a reason.
I do not like 'zero tolerance' rules. However, this school, and many others, has such a rule, so I must live with it. Wishing it weren't so helps nothing.
The political posts herein are silly. For all we know the school principal may well be a 'tea party' advocate, or a 'liberal'. However, it makes no difference. If you, the reader, were the principal at the school, and you were informed that a student brought a shotgun onto school property, what would your response be?
1. Ignore it, for the Second Amendment allows for individuals to bring guns onto school grounds.
2. Inquire whether the student planned to use the shotgun to kill you, or just some of the more unpopular classmates.
3. Cover your butt and follow the official rules that the local authorities (school board, city council, what have you) put into place.
4. Go to the nearest computer, sign in to CD, start a new thread on the matter, and then read what would be appropriate in light of your political viewpoint.
As much as I dislike what happened to Cole, I can't see what viable option the school authority had, other than call in the police. Again, I do not like 'zero tolerance'. However, it is in place, and if you allow one student 'slack', then you not only open yourself up to a host of problems, but it becomes confusing to all.
I also do not blame the parents. We have little other information (google this case and you will see essentially the same story repeated word or word, with no new information). It does appear to be an honest mistake by this young man, which is why I dislike 'zero tolerance' rules.
It is sad: every time we have school board elections here in Fort Worth, the turnout is miserable. People act like who is elected to these boards does not matter. Only those with a real passion (such as having zero tolerance implemented) will bother to turn out.
Since I must get to work I will answer one upcoming question: I do not think that students should be allowed to bring any weapon onto school property. However, I also do not think that the principal should have his or her hands tied (i.e., having to call police) by the zero tolerance rules. It would have been a non-issue if the principal had the power to simply say "Ok, Cole, drive back home and get rid of the gun, and spend an hour after school cleaning the gym as punishment". Heck, in my day, my principal would have taken the shotgun and said "Well, Legalsea, looks like I have a new shotgun" (he was a miserable man).
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